Chapter on Explaining What Is Permissible of Backbiting: Know that backbiting becomes permissible for a valid legal purpose that cannot be achieved except through it, and there are six causes for this.
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The reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
He said, may Allah have mercy on him: "Chapter on What Is Permissible of Backbiting: Know that backbiting becomes permissible for a valid legal purpose that cannot be achieved except through it, and there are six causes for this. The first is seeking redress for injustice; it is permissible for the wronged person to complain to the ruler, the judge, or any other person who has authority or the ability to deliver justice to him against his oppressor, saying, 'So-and-so wronged me by such-and-such.' The second is seeking assistance to change what is wrong and to turn the sinner back to the right path; one says to someone he hopes has the power to remove the wrong, 'So-and-so is doing such-and-such, so forbid him from it,' or the like, and his intention must be to reach the removal of the wrong; if he does not intend that, it is forbidden. The third is seeking a legal ruling; one says to the mufti, 'My father, or my brother, or my husband, or so-and-so wronged me by such-and-such; is he entitled to that? What is my path to escape from him, to obtain my right, and to repel the injustice?' or the like. This is permissible out of necessity, but the more cautious and better course is to say, 'What do you say about a man, or a person, or a husband, whose situation is such-and-such?' for the purpose is achieved without specifying the individual, and yet specifying the individual is permissible, as we will mention in the hadith of Hind, if Allah wills. The fourth is warning Muslims from evil and advising them; this is done in several ways: one is criticizing the criticized among narrators and witnesses, which is permissible by the consensus of Muslims, and indeed obligatory out of necessity. Another is consulting regarding marrying into a person's family, partnering with him, entrusting him with something, dealing with him, or otherwise, or being his neighbor; the one being consulted must not hide his condition, but rather mention the faults in him with the intention of giving advice. Another is if one sees a student of jurisprudence frequenting an innovator or an open sinner from whom he takes knowledge, and fears that the student will be harmed by that, then he must advise him by explaining his condition, on the condition that he intends to give advice; this is a matter in which people err. The speaker may be driven by envy, and Satan may confuse the matter for him, making him think it is advice, so let him be wary of that. Another is if a person has an authority that he does not fulfill properly, either because he is not qualified for it, or because he is an open sinner, or negligent, or the like; then it is obligatory to mention this to the one who has general authority over him so that he may remove him and appoint someone qualified, or so that he may know his condition and deal with him according to it, not be deceived by him, and strive to urge him to reform or replace him. The fifth is if a person is openly committing open sinfulness or religious innovation, such as openly drinking intoxicants, seizing people's property, taking the tax, collecting wealth unjustly, and taking charge of invalid matters; it is permissible to mention him by what he is openly doing, and it is forbidden to mention him by other faults, unless there is another cause for its permissibility from what we have mentioned. The sixth is identification; if a person is known by a nickname, such as the one-eyed, the lame, the deaf, the blind, the one-legged, or others, it is permissible to identify them by that, and it is forbidden to use it in a way that belittles them; and if it is possible to identify him by something else, that is better. These are the six causes mentioned by the scholars, most of which are agreed upon".
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
This chapter was established by the author al-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, in his book *Riyad al-Salihin* regarding what is permissible of backbiting, and he mentioned six causes for it, as you have heard. His words, may Allah have mercy on him, are such that no words come after them, for all of it is good and correct, and it has evidence, which he will mention, if Allah wills, in this chapter; he will mention the evidence, and we will speak about it at the appropriate time, if Allah wills. So we ask Allah to forgive al-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, and to gather us and you with him in the Gardens of Pleasure.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
He said, may Allah have mercy on him: "Chapter on What Is Permissible of Backbiting: Know that backbiting becomes permissible for a valid legal purpose that cannot be achieved except through it, and there are six causes for this. The first is seeking redress for injustice; it is permissible for the wronged person to complain to the ruler, the judge, or any other person who has authority or the ability to deliver justice to him against his oppressor, saying, 'So-and-so wronged me by such-and-such.' The second is seeking assistance to change what is wrong and to turn the sinner back to the right path; one says to someone he hopes has the power to remove the wrong, 'So-and-so is doing such-and-such, so forbid him from it,' or the like, and his intention must be to reach the removal of the wrong; if he does not intend that, it is forbidden. The third is seeking a legal ruling; one says to the mufti, 'My father, or my brother, or my husband, or so-and-so wronged me by such-and-such; is he entitled to that? What is my path to escape from him, to obtain my right, and to repel the injustice?' or the like. This is permissible out of necessity, but the more cautious and better course is to say, 'What do you say about a man, or a person, or a husband, whose situation is such-and-such?' for the purpose is achieved without specifying the individual, and yet specifying the individual is permissible, as we will mention in the hadith of Hind, if Allah wills. The fourth is warning Muslims from evil and advising them; this is done in several ways: one is criticizing the criticized among narrators and witnesses, which is permissible by the consensus of Muslims, and indeed obligatory out of necessity. Another is consulting regarding marrying into a person's family, partnering with him, entrusting him with something, dealing with him, or otherwise, or being his neighbor; the one being consulted must not hide his condition, but rather mention the faults in him with the intention of giving advice. Another is if one sees a student of jurisprudence frequenting an innovator or an open sinner from whom he takes knowledge, and fears that the student will be harmed by that, then he must advise him by explaining his condition, on the condition that he intends to give advice; this is a matter in which people err. The speaker may be driven by envy, and Satan may confuse the matter for him, making him think it is advice, so let him be wary of that. Another is if a person has an authority that he does not fulfill properly, either because he is not qualified for it, or because he is an open sinner, or negligent, or the like; then it is obligatory to mention this to the one who has general authority over him so that he may remove him and appoint someone qualified, or so that he may know his condition and deal with him according to it, not be deceived by him, and strive to urge him to reform or replace him. The fifth is if a person is openly committing open sinfulness or religious innovation, such as openly drinking intoxicants, seizing people's property, taking the tax, collecting wealth unjustly, and taking charge of invalid matters; it is permissible to mention him by what he is openly doing, and it is forbidden to mention him by other faults, unless there is another cause for its permissibility from what we have mentioned. The sixth is identification; if a person is known by a nickname, such as the one-eyed, the lame, the deaf, the blind, the one-legged, or others, it is permissible to identify them by that, and it is forbidden to use it in a way that belittles them; and if it is possible to identify him by something else, that is better. These are the six causes mentioned by the scholars, most of which are agreed upon".
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
This chapter was established by the author al-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, in his book *Riyad al-Salihin* regarding what is permissible of backbiting, and he mentioned six causes for it, as you have heard. His words, may Allah have mercy on him, are such that no words come after them, for all of it is good and correct, and it has evidence, which he will mention, if Allah wills, in this chapter; he will mention the evidence, and we will speak about it at the appropriate time, if Allah wills. So we ask Allah to forgive al-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, and to gather us and you with him in the Gardens of Pleasure.